Former flight attendant looks to sue over link between Parkinson's and pesticide

Updated
Mon Dec 09 12:34:27 EST 2013

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Threat of Parkinson's disease to flight attendants to be tested

ABC News

A former Qantas flight attendant is hoping to be able to sue the Commonwealth, claiming a connection between his Parkinson's disease and mandated pesticide spraying on long-haul flights.

Brett Vollus, 52, worked with the airline for 27 years and is claiming he developed the disease because of insecticide spraying on international flights arriving in Australia.

The spray is mandated by Quarantine as a way of preventing the spread of insects that transmit human diseases.

His Sydney lawyer, Tanya Segelov, says there is medical evidence that the chemicals used are linked to the disease, and she is investigating a possible test case for airline workers to take action against the Commonwealth.

"We have a number of flight attendants who have similar exposures. We also have an increasing amount of medical literature that links the insecticide with Parkinson's disease," she said.

"We need to find out why it is the Australian Government mandated for such a long period of time that the spray be carried out by the crew while passengers were on board."

Ms Segelov says the Commonwealth should have known about the potential health risks.

"We also anecdotally have seen in the cohort of flight attendants an increase in motor neurone and particularly Parkinson's disease. And they were never provided with masks nor told to wear masks while spraying," she said.